Anja reined in the urge to defend herself. Why would she even need to? She was an employee, not a slave, so of course she had a day off. “I only work Saturdays in December and during the summer, when we’re busy. Have a nice weekend, and drive safely.” She unbuckled the seat belt, braced herself, and prepared for a mad dash to the front door.

“Wait.” Susanne undid her own seat belt and leaned toward Anja. Their shoulders brushed.

What on earth is she…? Anja held her breath.

Susanne angled her arm through the gap between the seats and reached into the back for her umbrella. “I’ll walk you to the door, or you’ll be drenched within a second.”

Anja exhaled. Jeez, what did you think she would do? Kiss you? “Thanks.”

The patter of rain became louder as Susanne opened the door and then dimmed as she closed it and walked around the car.

Anja grabbed her helmet and her messenger bag, got out too, and ducked beneath the umbrella that Susanne held over both of them. A bike trailer made for transporting toddlers had been left in front of the building, so they had to walk around it to get to the front door.

The light in the staircase was already on, probably because one of Anja’s neighbors had arrived home shortly before them. She unlocked the door and stepped inside, while Susanne hovered on the other side, still beneath the umbrella.

“Um…” Anja hesitated. The polite thing would probably be to invite her in, but she felt a little self-conscious at the thought of Susanne seeing her tiny apartment. Oh, come on. What do you care what she thinks? Besides, they should talk about Paperworld anyway, since the trade fair was coming up next weekend. She gave herself a mental kick. “Do you want to come up for a minute? Maybe the rain will let up so that you can actually see where you are going.”

Susanne hesitated. She glanced over her shoulder at the gray curtain of rain and then back at Anja.

The light in the staircase went out, throwing them into darkness.

Anja reached around the doorframe for the light switch outside since that one was glow-in-the-dark and easier to find. Her shoulder brushed something soft. She bit her lip and tried not to think about what part of Susanne’s body it might have been.

The light flared on again, no doubt revealing Anja’s blush.

“All right,” Susanne said. “Just for a minute.”

Their wet shoes squeaked as they climbed up the three flights of stairs to Anja’s apartment, which was on the top floor of the building. In front of the door, Anja slipped out of her shoes, and Susanne silently followed her example.